In This Section:

Chapter Events and Contests

Local RWA chapters offer a number of conferences, contests, and workshops. Listed below are the chapter contests and conferences scheduled for the coming months.

Please submit all contest, conference, and workshop announcements to chapterevents@rwa.org. A response WILL be sent via return mail. If you haven't received a response in 48 hours, please follow up. Thank you!

Deadline and format instructions are provided at the end of the column below. Please also send notification of broken or incorrect links to chapterevents@rwa.org. Thank you!

Sponsor: Desert Rose RWA Fee: $20 for Desert Rose members; $25 for all other RWA members; $30 for non-RWA members. Deadline: March 16, 2018 Eligibility: Unpublished and published authors. Entry: Up to the first 25 pages of an unpublished manuscript plus a pitch blurb. Finalists will be required to provide a synopsis. Categories: Contemporary Series, Single Title Contemporary, Historical, Romantic Suspense, Paranormal/Fantasy, Science Fiction/Futuristic, Young Adult/New Adult. Final Judges: Please see Contest webpage for complete list of final-round judges. FMI, visit the DITD Contest page on the Desert Rose site at http://desertroserwa.org/desert-diamonds or email the Contest Chairperson at diamonds@desertroserwa.org.

**First Kiss Contest 2018

Sponsor Chapter: Santa Clarita Romance-RWA Fee: $25.00 for all entrants Deadline: Open for entries February 14, 2018. Deadline March 21, 2018. Eligibility: All work must be the author’s original work that has not been contracted for publication prior to the entry deadline. Contest is open to published and unpublished authors. Published authors may submit only unpublished, uncontracted manuscripts that will remain unpublished and uncontracted until the contest has concluded. Entry: All electronic. First Kiss scene (max 3500 words), no synopsis. Categories: No categories, all entries judged together. All sub-genres of romance allowed. Please see website for more details. Judges: Each entry will receive a detailed score sheet from 3 qualified judges, with at least one published judge per entry. Final Judges: FIVE FINALISTS will be sent to the final round judges. Please see website for the complete list of final-round judges: Top Prize: Winning entry will receive $100.00. All finalists will receive certificates. FMI, http://www.santaclaritarwa.com. For questions please contact firstkisscontestcoordinator@gmail.com.

**2018 Royal Ascot Competition

Sponsor: The Beau Monde Chapter of RWA Fee: First entry is $24 Beau Monde members, $30 non-members; subsequent entries $20 each, by PayPal only. No checks.Entries Open: February 1, 2018. Deadline: March 25, 2018Entry: all electronic. Enter the first 7,000 words (max) of your unpublished/uncontracted Regency romance, and indicate on the entry form if you want to submit the entry to the Royal Ascot Readers' Choice Category Awards contest (no extra cost). Note: All entries must remain unpublished while they are under consideration, and must be uncontracted at the time of entering the competition.Eligibility: The two contests within this competition are open to unpublished/uncontracted Regency romances set at least partially within the United Kingdom, and between 1780 to 1840. Note: A self-published work is considered “published.” To enter the Royal Ascot Readers' Choice Category Awards (at no additional cost), the entry must be first entered in the Royal Ascot Contest.Categories: Regency Historical, Sweet & Mild Regency, Hot Regency, and Wild Regency. See website for additional information.Judges: Royal Ascot Contest Judges – 4 first-round judges for the Royal Ascot Contest, at least one of whom is a PAN member, and in the Royal Ascot Readers' Choice Category Awards, registered reader-judges will judge all entries in their nominated category.Final Judges: Finalists in the Royal Ascot Contest will be judged by a panel of editors and agents. Names of final round judges will be published on the contest website in early 2018.Top Prize: The Royal Ascot Contest winner - $100 and a certificate. Category winners in the Royal Ascot Readers' Choice Awards receive $50 and a certificate.FMI about the new competition rules or a sample scoresheet, email Kalinya Parker-Pryce, Royal Ascot Coordinator, at royalascot@thebeaumonde.com. Further information is also available at http://thebeaumonde.com/resources/the-royal-ascot-contest/.

**The Maggie Award

Sponsor: Georgia Romance Writers Fee: $35 for RWA members, $30 for GRW members, $40 for non-members Deadline: Contest closes on March 30 for published entries and April 29 for unpublished. Eligibility: Open to all works of Romantic Fiction over 40,000 words, with the exception of Romance Novella, which is between 20,000 and 40,000 words. Traditional and Self-Published works are eligible as long as they meet all requirements. Categories: Best New Book by a GRW Author, Contemporary Romance: Long, Contemporary Romance: Short, Erotic Romance, Historical Romance, Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romance Novella (published entries only), Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements, Romantic Suspense, Young Adult / New Adult Romance. Judges: Three (3) judges from our bookseller/librarian pool will evaluate each book. Final Judges: Industry editors and agents. Top Prize: Highest scored book in each category will receive the prestigious Maggie Medallion. All Finalists will receive a certificate. Winners will be announced October 6, 2018, at the Moonlight & Magnolias awards banquet. FMI, visit http://www.georgiaromancewriters.org/the-maggies/about-the-maggies/ for complete rules, entry instructions, and payment options.

*National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (NERFA)

Sponsor: First Coast Romance Writers Fee: $35.00 Deadline: Contest opens March 1 and closes March 31, 2018, for registration and payment. Eligibility: Entries must have an original copyright date and for sale in the United States in 2017. Entries must be book-length fiction with a minimum of 40,000 words (except romantic novella category). Entry: Submit four copies of your print or e-book to the contest coordinator between March 1 - 31, 2018. Categories: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Historical Romance, Futuristic/Fantasy/Paranormal, Inspirational Romance, Erotic Romance and all genre Novella Romance category. A Best First Book category is also available for an additional Fee of $5 for all categories except novella. Judges: Romance readers. Final Judges: Librarians, bloggers and booksellers. Prizes: All finalists will receive a NERFA Finalist web logo and certificate for 2018. Winners will receive a NERFA Winner web logo and trophy for 2018. Finalists and winners will be announced in the Romance Writers Report and on the FCRW website. FMI, visit http://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com/national-excellence-in-romance-fiction-award/.

**Romance Through the Ages

Sponsor: Hearts Through History (RWA online chapter) Fee: $20 HHRW members/$25 for non-membersContest Opens: February 1, 2018. Deadline: March 31, 2018 Eligibility: Published authors may enter any category in which they’re not published, or in which they've not been contracted for publication within the past five years. Self-published work will be considered contracted for the purposed of this contest. Categories: Ancient/medieval/Renaissance – Celtic; Ancient/medieval/Renaissance; Georgian/Regency/Victorian; Colonial/Western/CivilWar; Post Victorian/World War II; Time Travel/Historical Paranormal; Modern History 1950s-1980s; Legend Award: A Man for All Reasons. Judges: Published Authors. Final Judges: Erin Molota, Entangled; Kathryn LeVeque, Dragonblade; Elle Keck Avon/Harper; Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency; Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency; Danielle Egan-Miller, Brown & Miller Literary Associates; Jennie Conway, St. Martin's Press/Macmillan. Top Prize: 1st place winners in each category + Legends Award: $50. 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winners in each category: printed certificate and social media badge (value $50). All winners will be announced in the Romance Writers Report. FMI, visit https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/rtta-contest/. If you have any questions, please e-mail RTTA@heartsthroughhistory.com to contact the contest chair.

April Contests

**2018 Touched by Love Award

Sponsor: Faith, Hope, and Love RWA Chapter Fee: $20–25.00 Deadline: April 1, 2018 Eligibility: Contest is open to all authors who have not accepted a publishing offer from a publisher or self-published a work of original fictional narrative prose of 20,000 words or more in the past three years. Entry: Electronic entry only. First 20 pages of an unpublished Christian fiction romance manuscript, 2-page synopsis. Judges: Published and unpublished in the first round. Three published authors will score entries in final round, and an editor will critique/review the 1st place category entries. FMI, http://www.faithhopelove-rwa.org or email contest coordinator, Kelly Ann Riley, RileyK1@aol.com.

*Northern Hearts Contest

Sponsor: Toronto Romance Writers Fee: $35.00 RWA members/$45 Non-RWA members Deadline: April 1, 2018 Eligibility: Published between January 1 and December 31, 2017. Entry: The Northern Hearts Award for outstanding published novels and novellas in romance fiction.Categories: Novella, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Romantic Suspense, Paranormal/Futuristic Romance, Young Adult, Canadian Author Award.Judges: Judged by authors, readers, librarians and booksellers.Top Prize: First place award, certificates for second and third place, all to be announced at the TRW Northern Hearts Conference on September 22, 2018.FMI, see our website http://torontoromancewriters.com/northern-hearts/northern-hearts-contest-rules/ or contact J.K. Coi northernheartscontest@torontoromancewriters.com.

**Rosemary Award for Excellence in YA & NA Unpublished Manuscripts

Sponsor: Young Adult Romance Writers of America Fee: $15 members/$25 non-members Deadline: Opens on February 1, 2018, and closes on April 1, 2018, at 11:59 pm (ET) Eligibility: All authors, regardless of publishing status. Manuscripts must not have been published, self-published, or contracted to be published, and have a word count of at least 40,000 words. Entry: First 25 pages. No synopsis. Categories: YA Contemporary; YA Historical; YA Paranormal; YA Speculative; New Adult. Judges: First-round judging by three trained judges. YARWA will make every effort to have a published author judge in every group. Final Judges will include at least one editor and one agent in each category. Top Prize: All finalists will receive a website badge, finalists listing in RWR, and a free YARWA class of their choice. FMI, http://yarwa.com.

**The Sheila Contest

Sponsor: Valley Forge Romance Writers Fee: $25 for VFRW members, $30 for non-members Opens for Entries: March 4, 2018. Deadline: April 7, 2018 Eligibility: Participation is open to ALL romance members who are unpublished, self-published, and published. The entry must be the author’s original work, unpublished in any format (including author’s website, self-publication, ebook, mass market, etc.) and not under contract. Entry: First 20 pages of manuscript and up to a 5-page unjudged synopsis. The synopsis is required, but not judged. Categories: Single Title Romance, Historical Romance, Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense, Young Adult Romance Judges: Entrants will receive a detailed score sheet from three qualified judges, including PRO and PAN members. Final Judges: editors/agents.Best of the Best Judges: Best-selling authors and booksellers.Top Prize: Certificates. First through fourth place winners will have their names printed in RWR Magazine. Best of the Best winner receives $100 prize.FMI, please visit our website http://www.vfrw.com/contest.

**2018 Stiletto Contest

Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Writers Fee: $15–40.00 Deadline: April 13, 2018 (opens March 9, 2018) Eligibility: Unpublished and Published (In the Unpublished Division, we are also accepting unpublished manuscripts written by published authors. Restrictions apply. See the website for more details.) Entry: First 7,000 words plus a 500-word synopsis. Categories: Contemporary Romance Short/Novella (25-50k), Contemporary Romance Mid-length (51k-84k) Contemporary Romance Long (85k and up), Suspense/Mystery, New Adult (NA), and Young Adult (YA). Judges: PAN and PRO members. Final Judges: Editors and Agents. Winners to be notified at RWA National 2018 in Denver. FMI, visit http://contemporaryromance.org or email contest coordinators at crwstilettocontest@gmail.com.

Sponsor Chapter: Cultural, Interracial, and Multicultural Special Interest Chapter Fee: $25 for members of CIMRWA, $30 for all other entrants. Deadline: April 15, 2018 Eligibility: CIMRWA's First Annual ELEVATION OF LOVE contest is open to entries that feature diverse cultural, interracial, and multicultural romances. Both published and unpublished authors are welcome to submit. However, only unpublished works may be submitted. Entry: The first 5,000 words of a completed, unpublished manuscript of no less than 40,000 words. Judges: All submissions will be judged by three trained judges. Final Judges: Editors and agents Categories: Contemporary; Romantic Suspense; Women’s Fiction/Romantic Elements; Young Adult; Historical; Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal, Erotica. FMI, please check http://www.cimrwa.org/contests.html. If questions, please contact Kelly Garcia at kdgarcia2222@gmail.com.

*The Passionate Plume Contest

Sponsor: Passionate Ink Fee: $25 for PI Chapter members, $30 for RWA members, $35 for general public Deadline: April 15, 2018 Eligibility: Published works of high heat and erotic romance published anytime in 2017. Entry: The most prestigious contest for high heat, steamy, and erotic romances, sponsored by the chapter founded by Sylvia Day. Your work will be judged by passionate fans and bloggers in the genre, with agents and editors included in the final round of judging. All submissions will be in electronic form only, with at least a polished PDF file from you, although we appreciate receiving both PDF and mobi formats. Enter in as many categories as you’d like, with multiple works of romantic fiction. Categories: TBA, although the 2017 contest included: Contemporary, Novella, Speculative Fiction (PNR and Sci-Fi), and Historical. Judges: Readers, bloggers, editors, and reviewers. Final Judges: Bloggers, editors, and agents. Prizes: Certificates and Passionate Plume charms for all winners and top 2 finalists. FMI, http://www.passionateink.org, under the CONTESTS tab.

The Maggie Award for Unpublished Authors

Sponsor: Georgia Romance Writers Fee: $35 for RWA members, $30 for GRW members, $40 for non-members Deadline: Contest opens January 14, 2018. It closes on April 29, 2018. Eligibility: See website for details.Entry: Open to all works of Romantic Fiction over 40,000 words, with the exception of Romance Novella, which is between 20,000 and 40,000 words.Categories: Best New Book by a GRW Author, Contemporary Romance: Long, Contemporary Romance: Short, Erotic Romance, Historical Romance, Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romance Novella (published entries only), Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements, Romantic Suspense, Young Adult/New Adult Romance.Judges: Three (3) judges from our bookseller/librarian pool will evaluate each book.Final Judges: Industry editors and agents.Top Prize: Highest scored book in each category will receive the prestigious Maggie Medallion. All Finalists will receive a certificate. Winners will be announced October 6, 2018, at the Moonlight & Magnolias awards banquet.FMI, visit http://www.georgiaromancewriters.org/the-maggies/about-the-maggies/ for complete rules, entry instructions, and payment options.

**2018 Golden Rose Contest

Sponsor: Rose City Romance Writers Fee: March 15–31, $25 RCRW members, $30 RWA non-RCRW members; April 1–30, $30 RCRW members, $35 RWA non-RCRW members. Deadline: April 30, 2018 Eligibility: Open to all non-contracted RWA authors of romantic fiction unpublished in the last three years and any member of RWA who is not eligible to join RWA-PAN. Entry: All electronic. The first 10,000 words of a full-length novel. (No novellas.) Judges: Each entry will receive a detailed score sheet from three qualified judges. Final judges: Please see the website for the complete list of final editors. FMI, rosecityromancewriters.com.

**Orange Rose Contestfor Unpublished and Emerging Writers

Sponsor: Orange County Chapter RWA Fee: $25 members, $35 non-members Deadline: April 30, 2018 Entry: ALL entries are electronic, and manuscript entries must be submitted as an attachment to the entry form. Manuscript entries (in addition to the online entry form and payment) shall consist of: ONE document (.RTF) that is a maximum of 35 pages, which includes the first chapters of the manuscript followed by a synopsis. Any 35-page combination is acceptable.Eligibility: Author unpublished in romantic fiction or a published author who has two (2) or fewer self-published or traditionally published works that have NOT earned $1,000 or more on a single title.Categories: Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Inspirational Romance, Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance, Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense, and Young Adult Romance.Judges: Each entrant will receive three scores from three published authors.Final Judges: Two to three acquiring editors and/or acquiring agents per finaling entry.FMI, visit http://occrwa.org/contests/orange-rose-contest. If you have questions, please contact Kathleen Rowland, Chair, orangerose@occrwa.org.

May Contests

*The Beverley Award for Published Romance

Sponsor: Colorado Romance Writers Fee: $25.00 Deadline: May 1, 2018 Entry: This contest, named for the late Jo Beverley, focuses on the initial hook of the story. All electronic. Novels and novellas published in 2017, nine categories. Judges: Romance readers, authors, and librarians. FMI, visit http://coloradoromancewriters.com/.

**2018 TARA Contest

Sponsor: Tampa Area Romance Authors (TARA) Fee: $30.00 (PayPal accepted) Deadline: entries accepted beginning April 1st, 2018, 12:01 am EST. Electronic deadline is May 13th, 2018, 11:59 pm EST Entry: All electronic. Up to the first 4500 words. Word count will be verified. End your entry on a hook, leaving your judges breathless with no more pages left to turn. Synopsis is not required for preliminary round. Eligibility: The TARA Contest is open to unpublished writers and published authors of novel-length fiction. The author does not have to be a member of Romance Writers of America® (RWA) to enter the TARA Contest; however, the entry must be the author’s original work of novel-length, unpublished, and not contracted at the time of the contest deadline. See further eligibility requirements by visiting our website at www.tararwa.com. Judges: Trained/experienced, published and PRO. Final Judges: Acquiring editors. TBA. See website for further updates. www.tararwa.com. Top Prize: First place in each category receive a TARA sterling silver pendant. FMI, e-mail TARAContest@gmail.com or visit our website at www.tararwa.com.

**On the Far Side Contest

Sponsor: Fantasy, Futuristic, & Paranormal RWA Fee: $20 for FFP members; 25.00 all others. Deadline: May 13, 2018 Eligibility: Unpublished, or not published for at least 5 years in the category entered. Entry: A pitch blurb and up to the first 20 pages of an unpublished manuscript. Note: Every entry MUST contain romantic elements and every entry MUST contain fantasy, futuristic, or paranormal elements. Categories: Dark Paranormal, Light Paranormal, Science Fiction/Futuristic, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, Erotic, Historical, Young Adult, New Adult. Final Judges: Please see Contest webpage for complete list of final-round judges. Top Prize: Category winners received certificate and pin.FMI, visit the OTFS Contest page on the FF&P site https://ffprwa.com/contests/on-the-far-side-contest/ or email the Contest Coordinator at OTFS@ffprwa.com.

**Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest

Sponsor: NEORWA (Northeast Ohio RWA) Fee: $25.00 Deadline: May 15, 2018 Entry: First chapter up to 5,000 words for all categories. New category for Published Authors. Judges: Experienced published and unpublished authors. Final Judges: Three industry professionals. Top prize: Refund of entry fee, a winner certificate, and a contest winner logo graphic. FMI, visit http://www.neorwa.com/contest/.

Deadlines are firm. Deadline for the May issue (which will include items with a contest deadline or conference date in June, July, or August or with an on-line workshop date in July) is March 1. Deadline for the June issue (which will include items with a contest deadline or conference date in July, August, or September or with an on-line workshop date in August) is April 1. Please follow the formats at the end of the Web site listings, not in the abbreviated RWR listings. E-mail submissions confirmed by reply—if no reply is received in 48 hours, please resend or follow up. No attachments please. Send to chapterevents@rwa.org. Thank you!

For RITA, GH, and National Conference information, please contact RWA’s main office at 832-717-5200.

About RWA

Romance Writers of America (RWA) is a nonprofit trade association, with a membership of more than 10,000 romance writers and related industry professionals, whose mission is to advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy.